More details

I apologize if this is TMI again, but I've done some research about the incontinence I've been experiencing and I wanted to share.

It seems that there are several kinds of incontinence but two main types: stress and urge incontinence. Stress incontinence is the kind that happens when one sneezes or coughs and leaks a little. That's not what I'm experiencing. No, I seem to have urge incontinence, which is characterized by a sudden urge to go followed by leaks. The urge can happen as the person fits the lock into the house door, or has just pulled into the garage, or stands up from a sitting position. That describes me to a T.

It turns out that this condition is worsened both by caffeine and drinking a lot of liquid at one time. My morning routine, which includes two large cups of coffee and some diet cola, is therefore almost certainly directly contributing to my problem. I'm going to have to change that routine, obviously. There are other things - Kegels and bladder training, for example - that can help but there's no real treatment.

Apparently some conditions can contribute to the problem although often no reason for it is identified. Therefore, it's usual to run tests like a pelvic ultrasound and bloodwork to make sure there are no physical problems. I think I have a requisition for each of those here somewhere. After I get those done, I guess I'll make an appointment with my family doctor just to make sure there's nothing going on.

Oddly, this only showed up when I made the painkiller transition in 2014. For a long time it was annoying but lately it's been a much bigger problem. Today has been better for me but I don't think this issue is something I should ignore.